


When Past Becomes Present

by RB803



Series: Between Acrylic Paint and Coffee Stains- [2]
Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Blushing, Coming of Age, Crushes, Emotional, Emotional Baggage, F/M, Falling In Love, L & Watari | Quillsh Wammy - Freeform, Love, Love Confessions, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn, Sweet, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:08:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29030688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RB803/pseuds/RB803
Summary: L prided himself on being a man of logic. In fact, his work practically required him to be so calculating. When other children mulled over their abc’s in sandboxes, he found comfort in  textbooks describing Newtons’ 3rd law of gravity.So... yes, he was a man of logic and fact in every sense of the word, usually able to deduce through anything that came his way.And then there were times like this; where absolutely nothing made sense.ORWhat happens when two people who fell in love meet 7 years later, under the strangest of circumstances?
Relationships: L (Death Note) & Original Character(s), L (Death Note) & Original Female Character(s), L (Death Note)/Original Character(s), L (Death Note)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Between Acrylic Paint and Coffee Stains- [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2129796
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Here is the sequel to Acrylic Paint and Coffee Stains! I have written and rewritten this story a number of times, so I hope you enjoy! I highly recommend reading BAPACS before starting this series, things will make much more sense!
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading! Constructive criticism is always welcome!

L prided himself on being a man of logic. In fact, his work practically required him to be so calculating. When other children mulled over their abc’s in sandboxes, he found comfort in textbooks describing Newtons’ 3rd law of gravity. 

So... yes, he was a man of logic and fact in every sense of the word, usually able to deduce through anything that came his way. 

And then there were times like this; where _absolutely nothing made sense._

He first saw _her_ through a row of cherry blossom trees leaving the library. To his surprise, she looked a bit older, more beautiful than he remembered (if that was even possible). Those lovely coils with a mind of their own framed her face like a halo, and her tanned skin shone like molten bronze under the agreeable spring air. She was clutching an armful of books to her chest, and even from the bench in which he perched on, he could see the brightly colored abstract covers.

L had only ever known true, unadulterated fear a handful of times in his life; each time seared so deeply into his memory every detail was still as clear as day. 

So when he saw Keana talking to the _subject he was tailing,_ it was clearly one of those times. The sight of them sent pure panic through his body that turned his blood to ice and made his vision fuzz around the edges. 

Oblivious to his internal dilemma, the pair continued walking, smiles plastered on both of their faces. At first glance, his subject was the opposite of intimidating. With short blond hair and a petite frame that just scraped 5’0 on a good day, most detectives would overlook this girl in favor of bigger fish to fry. 

He was not most detectives. 

L’s crouch deepened as he adjusted his cap disguise and forcibly willed his nerves to subside. Under normal circumstances, when a plan went off the rails this badly (which they rarely did), it would be best to abandon the mission and form a new plan.

 _If I got up and left right now it wouldn't be particularly suspicious…_ He thought; evaluating the best route of escape. 

As if she had read his thoughts, she looked up, her steady footsteps beneath the cobblestone suddenly skidding to an abrupt stop. 

Glancing in her direction even after all the time that had passed, his breath still hitched when he saw those doe brown eyes.

He had seen them turn into pools of liquid amber when she laughed.

He watched them turn dull brown when she was fighting her sleep at 3am, combing through the same stack of documents for the third time that evening. 

He saw them turn steely with determination in a grubby hotel room that seemed like a lifetime ago. 

Today, her eyes told a different story as he watched her stomp towards his direction, books tossed onto the ground in a forgotten heap. They told one of fire: pure, unadulterated anger. 

_...Fuck._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be trying to update on a weekly to bi-weekly basis! I hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading!

“Jeez Keana how long were you in the library?” Her petite friend questioned, watching her adjust the pile of textbooks in her arms. Keana shot an exasperated smile towards the girl. 

“Sumi you know the answer to that already. I've been in there all day, ever since our class ended this morning. This dissertation isn’t going to write itself. Sure could use a coffee though...” Keana trailed off looking to her side, relishing the fresh air and the fragrance of cherry blossoms. 

That's when she saw him, a man crouching on a bench in a way that sent her heart reeling. 

...Was that really him? She wouldn't allow herself to believe that it was. 

Then again, would she _want_ it to be him? She didn't know the answer to that question either. When she left that hotel room, hopeful and bright eyed with a mysterious black phone in her hand, she had thought things were going to be ok.

And for a while they were. They had kept in close contact for over a year, sending heartfelt messages and “wish you were here” when the urge struck. 

And then as time so often manages to cause, things began to slip. It was gradual at first, something that she didn't even notice between her frenzy of applying for doctoral programs, and him well… being an elite detective.

Then it stopped one day, her calls and texts met with radio silence. At first, her body flooded with the dark possibility that the unthinkable had happened: What if he was injured, hurt...or worse? She worried herself sick until one evening a local news broadcast mentioned how San Francisco Detective Eraldo Coil assisted in one of the biggest local drug busts in history. And she figured that was the end of it, telling herself the ache in her chest was unwarranted. She bandaged herself up the best she could, and buried the phone deep within her closet (never mind the fact she regularly checked it on wine fueled evenings; which usually only ended with her being both drunk _and_ disappointed). 

Something about “fool me once…” 

So when she saw a man crouching in a way she only knew one man to do, and an unruly lock of raven hair slip from underneath a grubby baseball cap, her body flooded with nearly 7 years of unreleased anger.

Her feet led her to stop at the bench he took residence on, hands pressed firmly into her sides as she focused her stare.

“Coil.” Her voice cut through him, biting and dangerously low.

“Why are you-”

To her surprise, the black haired detective flinched at her words, avoiding her piercing stare. His meek behavior caused her to pause.

Something is... wrong. 

Finally looking up at her through inky strands, his face told an unfamiliar story. 

“Please trust me.” He said after a moment's pause, black orbs filled with an emotion she had never once seen on his face in the time she'd known him: fear. 

“Trust... you?” She repeated blankly, the panic written on his face beginning to take root in her, replacing the fury she had felt. 

_What's going on?_

“Ki? Is everything alright?” A high pitched voice snapped her out of her thoughts as her forgotten companion ran to catch up to the duo. 

Oh...right. She was walking with Sumi when she had spotted _him_ on this bench. 

Sparing another glance at him before the petite girl reached them both, his plea was still written plainly on his face for her to see. It was incredible how she could still read him even after all of the time that had passed. 

“What on Earth was that about Keana?! I picked up your books you left behind, here.” Sumi thrust out her hands, polished fingertips glittering under the sun. 

“Oh uh, sorry about that.” She said, forcing a smile onto her face as she took the books from Sumi, trying to mask the rising panic settling in her stomach.

Silence followed, so thick and suffocating Keana felt she would choke if she inhaled. 

Sumi, seemingly unaffected by the newfound awkwardness then turned her attention to Coil, extending her hand his way.

“Um...well nice to meet you, I'm Sumi. I'm an exchange student studying finishing up my graduate degree.” She flashed a set of pearly white teeth as the words fell from her mouth effortlessly, locks of hair bouncing.

L was never good at these types of things. Was he a genius? Yes. Was he a world renowned detective? Also yes. But even despite his intellect, simple friendly social interactions were never quite his forte. Considering this girl was a person of interest, it made things even more complicated. Looking at the energetic blond’s hand placed in front of him, he grasped it firmly, choosing the words that he spoke carefully. 

“Sure is nice to meet you Sumi. Im Hideki.” 

“Pleasure to meet you. Uh… well who is your friend here Ki? Don't tell me you have a secret boyfriend you haven't told me about!” 

“....You could say something like that.” 

L remarked after a long pause, glancing in Keana's direction in another silent plea to trust him and his abilities. While her face remained stoic, her eyes widened in momentary surprise.

Sumi’s shrill laugh rang through the air, abruptly stopping when his words registered. 

“Um..Oh. Wow, I-I didn't realize…” Sumi trailed off, looking between Keana and L, too shocked to hide the bewilderment on her face. 

“ Ha, yeah… it's _new_.” Keana remarked as casually as she could through grit teeth, despite a familiar warmth creeping up her neck as the words left her mouth.

“Aw I see. Well congratulations to the both of you! Don't let me interrupt, I’ll see you later Keana!” Sumi hurried away, giving her a quick hug, and flashing a friendly smile L’s way.

L released a breath he didn't know he was holding as her form disappeared from sight.

 _All things considered that could have gone a lot worse._ He thought, thumb resting on his lip as he chewed thoughtfully. 

“Ok so like… what the _fuck_ was that.” Keana growled, knocking him out of his musings as he saw the fire in her eyes relight with a new vigor. 

“ I understand this must be particularly overwhelming, and I for one am truly sorry our reunion had to happen like this.” L began, standing up from his seated position. 

Upon standing, he noted with some amusement that he was now a head taller than her. As a scrawny teenager when they had first met, they were roughly the same height. As a 25 year old man however, he seemed to tower over her. Despite the disparity, oddly enough he still _felt_ like a teenage boy in her presence. Even now, he wouldn't dare stare at her too long in fear of a rosy flush spreading across his face. 

“I never intended to have a civilian become mixed up in this investigation, but now I suppose it can't be helped.” He continued, retrieving his cellphone from his pocket. 

Keana looked at him, watching his every move with hawk-like precision, and suddenly he _is_ 18 again: fumbling, nervous, and head over heels for the woman in front of him.

 _“Focus...focus on the task at hand.”_ He mentally chided himself, raising the phone to his ear.

“Hello Watari, please meet me at the University library to take us back to headquarters. It seems we will be having a special guest working on this investigation with us.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter this week, but a longer one to come! Thank you so much for reading!

The car ride back to what Coil called “headquarters” was arguably one of the most awkward things Keana had encountered in her life to date. 

Never mind that a whole _limo_ had come to pick them up, but even now seated with Coil in the velvety black interior of the car, she still had absolutely no idea what was going on. 

_Why was he even here?_

_Why had he been acting so strange?_

_More importantly, why on God's green Earth did he tell Sumi we were in a relationship?_

The questions bounced around in her head mercilessly, the last of them causing her face to burn in a hot mix of anger and embarrassment as she stared out the window. 

“ Ms. Marquis, I am most pleasantly surprised to see you again, but I must ask: What on Earth are you doing in _Japan?_ ” Watari’s voice inquired from the driver's seat, breaking her out of her relentless thoughts. 

“Ah yeah, well since San Francisco, I've actually gone back to school again. I'm finishing up my doctorate at the University of Tokyo and I'm using the last of my grant money to write my thesis here...” She trailed off, flashing a soft smile his way. 

If there was anyone she could count on to ease some of her apprehensiveness, it was Watari. 

“Wow, Ms. Marquis, congratulations.” He smiled as their eyes met through the driver’s mirror. 

“My final project is on the correlation between various traditional art styles around the world.” She began to babble, the twinkle in her eyes becoming just a bit brighter as she forgot about her troubles for a moment. 

Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, L suppressed an amused smirk. In truth, under normal circumstances he couldn't have cared less about the nuances between cerulean blue and indigo-violet paint, but she talked as if it were the most magical thing in the world. 

“ Congratulations, that is quite the accomplishment.” Coil trailed off quietly, following her tangent on planning to present her work for a local art exhibit.

Silence fell over the three for the upteenth time that car ride, and at that moment, Keana is just about ready to explode. 

“Im hoping to do a postdoctoral fellowship in Australia where I'll be preserving Aboriginal art and providing art therapy services for local towns.” She blurted out desperately. Anything to get rid of this skull numbing silence.

But... alas, here it was again, gnawing at the very fabric of her sanity. 

With a deep sigh, Keana rubbed her temples.

“I don't want to cause any trouble, but would someone _please_ explain to me what is going on? For the record, I literally just got out of school and the next thing I know I'm in a limo and in a fake relationship.” 

The words tumble out before her brain has time to catch up, and if it's possible the silence in the car becomes a lead weight around the three of them. 

“...Your acquaintance Sumi is a potential suspect in a high profile investigation I am conducting.” L is the first one to speak, business like stoicism making his words cut like a knife. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the emotions wrestling for dominance over Keana’s face. The first reads outright terror, making her lovely features contort in a way that somehow makes him want to comfort her (though he really doesn't know how). He sees worry dance across her brow soon after, mouth opening and then suddenly snapping shut as she turns to the window once more. 

For the first time that evening, she had nothing else to say.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! For reference, this story is taking place way before the original Deathnote series happens! Thank you for reading!❤️

Opening the door to the hotel room turned headquarters, Keana couldn't help but feel a wave of distinct nostalgia wash over her, despite the unsettling whirlwind of a car ride.

In a way, it was like being transported back in time; sans the grubby, unpolished hotel room. 

In fact, if she didn't know any better, she would have thought she had waltzed right into a suite at the ritz carlton. This “suite” was more like an entire house (that made her apartment look like a shoebox), along with countless monitors, hardwood floors, and everything one could possibly need. 

He had certainly climbed up the ranks in the years that had passed, and it seemed to have paid off quite handsomely.

Gravitating toward a velvet loveseat (my god was this leather??) Keana sat down stiffly, questions and newfound fear forming a lead ball in her stomach. 

“I'm sure you know, in the past 3 years or so there has been a...poignant increase in the formation of extremist groups in this region.” Coil began with his back turned to her. 

Keana nodded, knuckles nearly white as she ground them into the sofa, bracing for his next sentence. Even around her large campus, she had seen nondescript flyers for “club meetings”, what to bring, and everything in between. Considering she was drowning in work 90% of the time, she didn't pay them any mind at all. 

“Most of these groups are harmless, if anything a bit overzealous...except for one.” He continued, padding softly against the hardwood floor to pick up an unruly stack of documents, dropping them at her side. 

“Which?”

“The Order of Mu. Does that sound familiar at all?”

She shook her head no slowly.

“Well I believe they have been orchestrating a series of murders, the most recent here in this city.”

Keana’s face paled again at his words, her eyes glued to him as she drank the information in like a sponge. 

L opened his mouth to continue his detailed explanation, but found himself pausing. There was that intense stare again, the one that seemed to light his skin on fire and make him lose all rational though-

_“Focus L, this isn't the right time to get lost in flights of fancy.”_ He chided himself. 

Clearing his throat, he continued. “We have two cases so far: a female identified as Halle Linder, and a male identified as Stephen Gevanni, both found in this region of Japan.” He nodded to the stack of papers he placed at her side, and for the first time, Keana seemed to notice them, her hands beginning to slowly thumb through the file. 

“What’s strange about these murders is the symbol left on the victim's body, as well as virtually no evidence left at the scene.” He perched himself on an ebony chair across from her.

“The latest victim however, there was a major breakthrough: A coded message on a flyer.”

Even from where he was, he could see the confusion flash across her face. Her mouth opened and then shut again, as an internal war waged within the depths of her mind. 

“What does this have to do with.. S-sumi?” She finally found the courage to ask, the waiver in her voice making her sound small, and unsure. 

L looked at her curiously. He didn't…he didn't like this Keana. The woman he knew was damn near a force of nature, who’s artistic genius rivaled his own. To see her so shaken made his heart twist in a way that it hadn't since San Francisco.

“Well, this flyer was traced solely back to the University of Tokyo campus.” He chose his words carefully. 

“Upon reviewing surveillance information around the campus, at 3:54 am, a masked individual accessed the Main Library Hall to hang those very posters… and used Sumi’s university card to do so.”

Silence filled the room as Keana took in the overload of information, and he waited patiently for her response. In some ways, he suspected her reaction to be as such. In his experience, bringing in witnesses and persons of interest were difficult enough. Sometimes they'd go into shock, or they'd do the disservice of not cooperating and making things hard for everyone. To be sucked up during your school day into a global investigation however was.... something else entirely. 

“Is...is that all?” She spoke slowly, eyes finally rising to meet his. 

To his surprise, the uncertainty that marred her features before was nowhere to be found. Instead was a laser like determination that seemed to radiate off of her in waves. 

“How certain are you that Sumi was actually the one who placed those flyers?” She asked coolly.

Hm. Now that certainly caught him off guard. He had fully expected questions regarding the case, but suspicion of his tactics and conclusions? Not so much.

“...About 8 percent.” L trailed off thoughtfully, thumb placed in between his teeth. 

“8 percent?!” She shouted in bewilderment, snapping to her feet.

“Her card could have gotten stolen, someone may have gotten a hold of it!” She exclaimed, desperately looking for an ounce of understanding or empathy on his face.

When she was met with an indifferent owlish stare, she sighed deeply.

“All I’m saying is...do you know how damaging this could be for an international student? Are you really risking this girl’s livelihood for 8 percent?” She reasoned.

“And…” She continued, “I...I know this girl. It may not mean much to you but she basically took me in when I moved here, gave me the clothes off of her back as I settled in. She wouldn't hurt a fly much less get involved with a group like that. I know her.” Keana finished, eyes trained on the floor. 

Ah. So that was it… her ties to this girl were deeper than he initially thought. 

He watched her thoughtfully as she shifted uncomfortably under the newfound silence, waiting for some acknowledgement that he understood where she was coming from. 

He couldn't give that to her (again), because the simple fact was he _didn't_ know where she was coming from. His line of work did not afford him the luxury of forming any friends or acquaintances.

“How close are you to Ms. Sumi?” He asked, hands beginning to roam the coffee table for the jar of sugar cubes he so often snacked from.

“We're friends, Coil. I don't know what else you want me to say about the girl.”

“Anything you can offer up frankly. After our unexpected run in this evening, I'm going to have to recalibrate how I plan to conduct this investigation. I had hoped to be tailing her for at least the next week or so...” He trailed off, popping a sugar cube and crunching loudly.

At that remark Keana shot up again, eyes wide.

“Let me do it.” She blurted out quickly, as if her words would become stuck if she waited too long. 

When Coil simply looked at her with a stare she interpreted to mean _hell no,_ she continued, beginning to pace around letting the words tumble out freely. 

“To be blunt with you, I don't believe you’ve got the right girl.” She started off,  
“But I think I can prove that to you. I'm around her 99% of the time so it won't arouse suspicion, and hell, I'll even wear a mic if you need me to.”

“You can even accompany me to campus and interact with her directly for the investigation, considering you are my… boyfriendandall.” She mumbled, eyes suddenly averting away from his face. 

Ah yes. The boyfriend thing. 

To be frank, he suspected Sumi to be working with a partner. In his experience, one would be an unfavorable target if they had someone (namely a boyfriend or close friend) deliberately looking out for them. The adlib he threw into that conversation was solely for her protection. 

That, and the most hidden part of him relished the heady warmth that filled his stomach at the possibility of being with her. 

In retrospect, he should thank his lucky stars that she wasn't already in a relationship when he took that gamble. He was good, but not that good.

“I suppose that arrangement can be useful. I’ll have a custom mic for you to wear tomorrow morning. Until then, please get some rest. Watari will prepare the lower suite for you this evening. It's much too late for you to travel to your apartment.” 

Keana began to protest, but in truth she could have leapt for joy in that moment. His affirmations lifted a weight off of her shoulders she didn't know she was carrying. 

Turning to Watari before Coil could change his mind, she allowed herself to be led out of the room to her arrangements for the evening. 

_Just like old times…_ Keana thought.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy❤️

“...It's certainly a pleasure to have Ms. Marquis with us again.” Watari began, returning to L’s suite after settling Keana in.

Ah damn. He knew where this was going. 

“Its a pleasant surprise.” L maintained his decorum the best he could. In truth, he had great respect for Watari. He was his most trusted confidant, one of the only people in this world he would trust with his life. 

He also happened to be the only person in this world who could read him like a book, seeing right through the walls he spent so many years building. It was a blessed gift when he found it difficult to express his thoughts, and a downright curse when he wanted nothing more than to hide away.

“Have you two kept in touch over the years?” Watari asked tentatively. 

He knew the answer to that question already. Though it was rather embarrassing to admit, over the years he did… keep up with her whereabouts (though he forced himself to stop a couple of years ago for the sake of his mental sanity). Watari was well aware of that.

“We communicated sparingly until the...incident a few years back. I cut off contact for her own safety.” L shot back cooly, avoiding the eyes of his mentor and busing himself with the half forgotten cup of tea on his desk.

“Ah I see. That is understandable L, but perhaps you should tell her...how you feel, or at least who you are. She's proven herself to be trustworthy ten times over.” Watari urged.

“ Do you remember what happened at that incident? Every person who had even a remote affiliation to me was in danger. You and I both know that my line of work does not allow for trivial pursuits like...relationships. She will only know me as Coil for the sake of her safety, and that's all.” 

Watari smiled softly at his outburst. He knew L like he was his own flesh and blood (hell, at this point he _was_ his flesh and blood), and he was clearly not ready to address those feelings yet. That's fine.

Compared to L, Watari was nowhere near a genius; but make no mistake, he was no old fool. The harsh reality was, well...father time was not on his side. His hair seemed to be getting grayer and his eyes just a little less sharp these days. It broke his heart in two to think that someday...he might not be here to serve L his favorite strawberry shortcake.

So when he saw L unwittingly fall head over heels for the bright, frizzy haired artistic genius that was Keana Marquis, it seemed like the answer to his prayers had finally appeared right in front of him.

He only hoped L realized it before it was too late. 

_____

She was nervous. Very nervous in fact. Being told one of your best friends is under investigation will do that to you. 

As she was whisked away to Coil’s headquarters before her first class of the day (after stopping by her apartment for a change of clothes), she wondered for a fraction of a second if she could do this. 

Then again, she had to. She knew Sumi best, and sorry to disappoint dear old detective, but he had the wrong girl. She was going to prove that.  
_____

“Good morning Ms. Marquis, I hope you had a restful evening yesterday.” Coil remarked, back turned to her as his owlish eyes fixated on a computer monitor. 

“As restful as it could be considering Ive just been brought into a murder investigation...again.” She remarked casually, freezing when he swung his chair around to look at her.

Damn. She really needed to learn how to filter her thoughts sometimes. 

“Sorry. Just nervous.” She shrank under his curious stare. 

“Understandably so. Thank you for your assistance on this case. It'll be a pleasure working with you again.” 

A slight smile spread across her face at the mention of their past adventure. It seemed like a lifetime ago; her being fresh out of school, naive to the world. 

“Please, call me Keana.” She said softly, allowing the sudden warmth that filled her body to ease her nerves. 

Despite himself, L couldn't help the flush that reddened his ears as he heard her name roll off of her lips. 

_"God, I could listen to that voice all day if she needed me to."_ He thought absentmindedly. Thank goodness she wasn't looking at him becoming undone like some little schoolboy with a crush. 

Clearing his mind of nostalgia, he padded over to the leather loveseat she resided on. 

“Its rather close to the start of your first class, so I would like to give you the mic to wear. Under no circumstances should you take this off. It's imperative that we capture as much evidence as possible. The left is a mic and the right is a video feed. For now only the mic will be active.”

Presenting her with the small white box, he suddenly found himself short of breath, like if he had finally finished a marathon, or like coming up for air after a long dive. He was rarely ever nervous these days, but well… here he was, nervous as hell. 

... _Man_ , did he need to get it together. 

Opening the box, she gasped with delight as she took in the set of earrings nestled inside. 

“Coil! Where on Earth did you get this?” She exclaimed, eyes glittering as she looked between him and the jewelry. 

“ I needed to select something inconspicuous, but also in the realm of what I believe you would normally wear. Are these to your liking?” Strangely enough, he found himself bracing for the possibility of her dissatisfaction.

“Oh Coil these are beautiful, you did good.” She laughed, smiling brightly. 

It was with some dismay that he realized that this was the first genuine smile he had seen from her in the past 48 hours. He would most certainly need to change that. 

She hurried herself in fastening them to her ears, the simple gold and diamond studs shimmering as she moved about. 

“Right, well, how do I look?” She spun around goofily, arms wide as she wiggled her hands.

 _"Stunning."_ He thought.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, thank you for reading! Updates will most likely fall into a bi-weekly model as I acclimate to a few new responsibilities!❤️

It was supposed to be a normal fucking day. 

She had been to this campus a million times over, sat in the same chair for years, and walked the cobblestone yard multiple times a day. Virtually nothing had changed. She didn't have to act a certain way to prove Sumi’s innocence, all she had to do was do well...what she normally did. No pressure.

So why on Earth couldn't she focus!?

“Hellooo? Earth to Keana?” Sumi’s tapping against her side shook her from her thoughts. 

“Oh, um...sorry Sumi. What were you saying?” 

Stopping in her tracks, Sumi stared at her, brown eyes meticulously scanning her face. 

“Is something wrong Ki? You've been in the clouds all day.”

“Oh yeah, I'm fine, just a lot on my plate as usual.” She tried her best to smile, though she was sure it came off more as a grimace. Continuing their stroll along the cherry blossom trees, Sumi continued to scrutinize her face, until Keana could almost see the light bulb go off in her head. 

“Oh sweetheart, are you having boy troubles?” She asked, eyes soft and understanding.

Keana could have almost laughed out loud. _Almost._

Though she supposed, if she couldn't keep it together well enough to _not_ arouse suspicion, this was as best of an opening she was going to get.

“You know me too well.” Keana feigned with an exasperated sigh. 

“Tell me what's wrong, I'm here to listen if you need me to.” Sumi grasped her hand softly, leading her to a bench. 

_“Praten.”_ She encouraged, her native Dutch rolling off of her tongue. 

“Is he too stern? No chemistry? ...Bad in bed?” Sumi wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, smirking at her last remark.

Keana choked on air as she felt her face burst into flames. That was most certainly not the mental image she needed right now. 

“No no, we've both just been busy and haven't had time for so much as dinner together. Have you forgotten we’re graduate students?” 

“ Ah I see, no time for romance eh? Well, how about we go out on a double date this weekend? James and I have been itching for a night out on the town.” Sumi nudged her arm suggestively.

_Oh Jesus what have I gotten myself into nonono-_ “Uh, Im-Im not entirely sure Su, you know with all the work I have to do and all the things I have to...finish.” Keana stuttered lamely, cutting off her inner monologue of panic.

Lying was never her strong suit.

“Listen” Sumi started, “If we waited for a time when we were not busy to enjoy life… we’d be dead.”

“Uh, morbid much?” Keana smiled at her petite friend, gaining an eye roll from the girl.

“My point is, lets enjoy life while we're here, yes? We’ll go on a double date to a movie and take a stroll down to the market a little later. Deal?” Sumi held out her hand.

I guess there was no way of getting out of this huh? She really walked right into this one.

“Deal.” 

__________________________

A date. The most world renowned detective on the face of the Earth was going on… a date. 

The thought was nearly enough to make him laugh out loud. 

When Keana returned that evening; stuttering, red faced, and unable to meet his eyes he knew something was wrong, but this was the last thing he expected to tumble out of her mouth. 

He was learning she could really be a handful sometimes. 

He knew what a date was; he wasn't that much of an invalid, and in fact he's gone on exactly one so far in his life to a school dance ( though it was much more Watari’s doing than his own. The first chance he got he scared the poor girl away). 

He had seen movies about what people normally do on dates; how women batted their eyes and longingly waited for a kiss goodnight after the festivities were over. 

The problem was, this wasn't a movie. This date was _real_ life, with a _real_ woman he lov- was acquaintances with.

L steeled himself the best he could as he watched the clock in his suite. 

_"This is all for the sake of the investigation, emotions be damned."_ He thought, flicking a stray piece of chocolate off of his desk. He was a professional, and at the end of the day the case took precedence, no matter how much or how little he felt for anyone involved. 

In fact, if he played his cards right, this outing could be extremely useful in cracking the case.

For a moment, he wondered how Keana saw this little outing they were embarking on.

He barely had time to clarify what exactly they would be doing before she all but ran out the room, muttering about some art essay she needed to complete.

Watari, (clairvoyant as ever) seemed to have caught wind of tonight’s festivities, taking care to lay out fresh pants and jeans and… shoes next to his bed. 

The thought of putting those things on his feet sent shivers through his body (though he supposed, when in Rome).

Sighing deeply, he forced his body to move from his desk to his bed. He supposed he should bite the bullet and get changed...shed be here soon. 

For the first time in his life, he felt woefully unprepared.


End file.
